Olivia's Will: Novella to If There Be Thorns
by ErinElizabethNY
Summary: Olivia Foxworth's will is read, and Corrine is shocked by what she hears. Some insight on Corrine's insanity
1. Prologue: Endings and Beginnings

Prologue: Endings and Beginnings  
  
My mother's life had finally ended. Though she had inflicted most of the suffering upon me and mine, I still felt pity for her, especially in the last months of her life when the lame woman couldn't even lift herself from her deathbed to take care of her basic needs. Someone, who I'm almost positive was Cathy but would never tell, whipped her frail body so severely that she left welts that wouldn't heal. In her own mind, I'm sure it was justified, just as whatever she was plotting against me was surely justified in her way of thinking. For I had, to her, taken away so much, she needed retribution. Cathy, she was not like my Chris, who could forgive and forget. No, Cathy needed more; Cathy wanted us to pay, pay, pay for what we had done to her! I know why I did what I did, but what still baffled me was why my mother did what she had done. Was she jealous of my childrens' charm and beauty?  
  
Unfortunately, I was to find out, though I would wish that I never had. My mother became a prisoner in her physical life, and in her death she passed those bars and walls onto me, though it wasn't a tangible prison, but one of the mind from which I could never escape... 


	2. Chapter One: Revelations

Chapter One: Revelations

After the fire at Foxworth Hall, we were gathered together in my mother's lawyer's office for the reading of her Last Will and Testament. This was the moment that I had been waiting for since I had brought my children, my four Dresden dolls, to Foxworth Hall that dark, foreboding night. Since that time, however, many things had changed; I was no longer even interested in money except as a means of survival, for I had nothing to spend it on but myself; I has no one to indulge. Of course, when the children were in the attic I bought them whatever their hearts' desired, but nothing was ever enough, nothing. They wanted to be free, to grow up like normal children did, and not expensive watches and party dresses that no one would see; Cathy as much told me that.

I had requested not to be part of the reading; I didn't feel it was necessary. However, as per my mother's wishes, if I declined to attend the reading I would forfeit my right to any claim of the Foxworth fortune. Of course Mother would have her way, even after she was gone. So, I settled myself into my seat, folded my hands on my lap, and waited for the lawyer to begin.

"We are here today to settle the estate of the late Olivia Foxworth. To skip a lot of unimportant information, as there are only fiveof us here", he panned the room at the other four people present: John Amos, my father's lawyer, and my own lawyer. "It is obvious that Corrine will inherit the bulk of her mother's fortune, all of it to be exact."

At this moment John Amos' face looked as if he had been slapped, but he quickly composed himself after realizing that he was being watched.

So that was it; I was to receive all of it. Why was this necessary then?

"Corrine, I know you must be wondering why you're here. Your mother specified that you must listen to a reading she had prepared years before her departure before you could collect any of her fortune. She specified that only you, John Amos and myself, the reader, be present, so at this time I must ask that everyone else leave."

My lawyer began to grumble, but my father's lawyer was more than happy to flee an occasion for which he would not receive compensation. After seeing that the lawyer would continue no further until the remaining lawyer had left, he grudgingly left the room, with the promise that he'd be outside if I needed him.

"Now," the lawyer looked uncomfortable, "I will read the letter that your late mother wrote for you, the heiress of the Foxworth fortune."

I didn't know what would be in that document, but I didn't think it could be worse than what I'd endured during the last 20 years of my life. How wrong I was in that underestimation…


	3. Chapter Two: One Big Happy Family

Chapter Two: One Big Happy Family  
  
"As I've said", the lawyer looked uncomfortable, and pulled at the collar of his shirt, "This letter must be read before you stand to inherit anything of your mother's estate."  
As he shuffled the papers around on the long polished oak table, I began to fidgit nervously, my hands playing with my white pearl necklace. John Amos saw this, and though he had been silent throughout the entire affair, he snapped, "Can't you just hurry and read the letter? As you can see, Ms. Foxworth is becoming agitated."  
  
His eyes glittered as a cat who's cornered a mouse would, and the corners of his thin lips lifted just so in a minute smile. Was I imagining things? Perhaps my own nervousness was making me think such awful things. And then the lawyer began...  
  
"Corrine: As you grew up, you were everything I never was: beautiful, dainty, and demanding of the attention from all those around you. I know you don't think so, and may never have, but I do love you as my own. I remember how you used to run into the gardens, bringing life and vitality with you as if you alone could hold onto it. Yes, I was slightly jealous of you, but mostly because your father lavished attention on you that I was never to receive.  
  
Who could blame you for wrapping that man around your little finger? I never would say it, but I used to secretly smile at the way you got what you wanted by wheedling. I only wanted what was best for you, Corrine, you must believe that. That is the reason why I am writing this letter and demanding that you listen before you inherit one red penny from me. I need to know that you realize why I acted as though I did when you ran off with your half-uncle, and during your subsequent return with your four children.  
  
To begin with, there are many confessions to make. The first of which, I am not your biological mother. Yes, I loved you as though you were my own, but your own mother was Alicia Foxworth, your Grandfather's wife and your Stepgrandmother. Your father attacked her, and you were the result. During that attack, your grandfather walked in and suffered a heart attack. Your father, thinking himself correct, locked Alicia in the same room your four children shared, and kept her there until she delivered you. She then sent her away with her son, Christoper, your half-uncle and later husband. Not only was Christopher your half-uncle, he was also your half- brother."  
  
At that point, what she had said struck home. After she had said that I wasn't her daughter, the rest was a blur until the last part. Chris, my brother and uncle? How could that be? Why did no one tell us? How did our children turn out so wonderful, so beautiful and talented, if they were so... imbred? As I shuddered with revulsion at the thought, the room began to spin and tilt, faster and faster, until I was thrown from my chair into the darkness. 


	4. Chapter Three: Forbidden

Chapter Three:

When I came to, I was lying on the brown leather sofa in the office. John Amos was smirking, but hid his expression when I looked his way, masking it with one of concern instead. The lawyer was fanning my face with a cheap oriental fan, terrified.

"Miss Foxworth, a-are you alright?" he stuttered in fear. He was so close to me that I couldn't help but look. He had rich hazel eyes which right now were wide with fear like a child's, short black hair cut short around the sides and longer on top, neatly combed. His nose was more of a pug shaped, with plump baby lips finishing him off. He was not unattractive, but at this time I was in no mood to swoon over a man, especially one I could get nothing from.

I looked at him scathingly, my look clearly conveying that I was not alright, would never be alright again. He took this as a sign that I would be able to continue.

Ten minutes later we were situated around the table, a cold glass of water in of me. I sipped at it, more to calm the lawyer than out of thirst, and he began once again.

"You must understand why I was so dismayed when you eloped, Corrine. I so wanted to tell you, but to tell you would break your heart and your father's, too, though not for the same reasons. You see, your father had extramarital relations with your true mother, Alicia Foxworth, and you were the result. Since I could no longer bear children after Joel's birth, your father decided that we were to keep you and raise you as a child born to us..."

The lawyer read on, but suddenly I was jolted when I heard, "locked in the same room as your children were-"

"Go back and read that again!" I snapped at the lawyer, who was clearly startled by my outburst.

"What?"  
  
"The part about her being locked up," I said impatiently.

"Your birth mother was to live at Foxworth Hall until your birth, and then leave with Christopher. She was in such a state of shock that she did everything we said with almost a childlike docility. In the end, we decided that she could not roam the halls, in case the servants might see her. She was locked in the same room as your children were locked in nearly 35 years later."

At that point, I had to nearly laugh. For my mother had been a prisoner here, my children had been prisoners here, and though I was never locked in a room, I sometimes felt like a prisoner myself. I wonder if something in my bloodlines destined me and mine to be prisoners in Foxworth Hall.

"Corrine, you must understand, I loved you as mine from the moment you were placed into my arms. I wanted everything for you that I could never have, and more. It could have been so different for you had you not married Christopher, who I also loved as much as one of my children. I wanted so much for both of you, and your father blamed me, for I was the one who insisted that Christopher come to live with us, as he was entitled to half the Foxworth fortune that your father cheated him out of.

You must believe me, Corrine, that I never hated you! I had to act that way, harden myself against you, so that I would not allow you to hurt me in such a way as you did. Even after all you did, I was so sorry to hear of Christopher's death. And try as I might, I couldn't even make myself hate your children... until they gave me reason to."

I asked the lawyer to stop reading for a moment, the ostensible reason being that I needed to use the lavatory. However, I instead walked the halls, wondering what my beautiful Dresden dolls could have done to turn my mother so bitterly toward them. Little did I know that the answer would deliver yet another brutal shock to my already wounded heart...


	5. Chapter Four: The Road to Hell is Paved ...

After I returned from the facilities, I settled myself into my chair, and I couldn't help but think that it was a rather shabby piece of furnature... a worn-out replication of an original Louis XII chair. I looked pointedly at the lawyer, clueing him into the fact that I was ready to continue. He fidgeted with the papers for a few moments, scattering them across the table. My agitation only flustered him more. Finally, he picked up the sheet he'd been looking for and continued.

"Your children were beautiful, Corrine; of course, they would be, considering you and Christopher. When I first laid eyes on them, I couldn't help but flash back to memories of you and Christopher at that age, and as quickly as I had wanted to embrace them, the thoughts of your sinful deeds prevented me from doing so. I knew that they would have been brought up in an environment devoid of discipline and morality, and I intended to correct that as quickly as possible. I didn't want them to think of me as their Grandmother until they were pure, clean, and wholly acceptable. They never were. The little ones, Cory and Carrie, would have had a chance, but the influence of your older two, so much like you and Christopher, destroyed that chance.

"I began with a list of rules, simple rules of modesty and respect. And what did your eldest do, but mock them! They thought that I left after I locked their door, and never, ever would I be cunning enough to eavesdrop. I learned much from your offspring that way, pretending to leave and listening. I knew I would never know the true level of their moral development unless I did. And what I did learn shocked me. Not only were the eldest two lacking morals and respect, but they were physically attracted to each other! I know you think this happened long after they ran away, but I had caught your son staring at his nude sister, enjoying her nudity for his own sick pleasure! It must have been something that you and your half-brother did, walking around naked with no modesty."

At this, I bristled. Chris and I had never walked around naked, ogling each other! I can't believe that Cathy and Christopher would do that; she must have misunderstood their intentions. But weren't they obvious?

"Corrine... Corrine!" The lawyer was speaking to me, and I hadn't even noticed.

"Are you alright? Do you want to continue?" I could only nod in agreement and wait for the rest.

"So I did what I did to your mother, to make her unattractive to your father; I destroyed her silky mane of hair. Or at least, I tried. I told her to cut it, but that little tramp would rather see herself, her lover, and the little ones starve first before agreeing. I thought to make her so unattractive to her brother that he would leave her alone, but ultimately my plan failed; for she wanted her brother just as he wanted her. I put tar in her hair, but somehow your eldest son managed to get it out without all of her hair falling out. I know that she wore a turban in front of me, and made it look like she had cut it off, but only the front was cut and what remained was bundled under the scarf. She, like you, Corrine, was not quite as observant and diligent as she could be.

"After the tarring incident, I realized that any chance for salvation was over. They were already spoiled, the eldest by their unnatural and disgusting urges for each other, and the little ones by the older ones' teaching. I realized then that they must be destroyed, for not one of them would amount to any good, being as corrupted as they were. That is when I convinced you to coat their donuts in arsenic, knowing that they couldn't resist the sweets as they should. Ultimately, you had to be the one to destroy your own hellspawn, to redeem yourself for your mistakes and find purity in the eyes of God. Those unwholesome children needed to be removed.

"I did feel pity for the little one; I was more hoping the older girl, or even the boy, would be the first to go, and perhaps there might be a chance for the little ones. But God saw it fit to remove the smallest one first. Who would have thought that the eldest would unselfishly give the little ones the largest donuts, which you more liberally coated with arsenic than the smaller ones? I know you were hoping to get them ill enough and to sneak them out, the little ones at least; for who would believe their story? Christopher and the girl could never be allowed to escape. In your heart, Corrine, you knew that you didn't want any of them to survive, but for more selfish reasons than myself. For I did it out of religious duty, but you did it out of pure greed and selfishness. You caused the death of a child so that you could stand to inherit.

"When I realized that your motives were as impure as your childrens' lust for each other, I knew that it would be pointless in trying to redeem you, and so I gave up. Your father, on the other hand, could never see any fault in you. Indeed, he even knew about the children in the attic and begged me to let him see them. But I told him that if he even mentioned that he knew of their existence to you, I would send you and your hellspawn off to a place where he would never find you again. Moreover, he also knew that, despite their beauty, they were creatures borne of an unholy union of half-brother and half-sister. Not seeing them allowed him to harden his heart against them, especially after I told him about the two eldest and their sins. Their sins against God and all that is moral."

My heart caught in my throat, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to breathe in a moment or two. Christopher and Cathy weren't innocent? Oh no, that wasn't believeable; that was awful. I knew that they were close, closer than most siblings, but I attributed it to being in the attic for so long together. I never thought...

I excused myself quickly to the facilities, this time to actually use them, as my lunch was threatening to make a second appearance.


	6. Chapter Five: Caged

Chapter Five: Caged

When I returned from my most recent departure, I saw a look in John Amos' eyes that make my heart flutter with panic. My hands went to my necklace as if on their own, and I quickly dropped them to my sides when I saw his smile widen at this betrayal of emotion. When he realized that I had noticed his expression, he immediately turned his watery eyes to me in an expression of meekness and sorrow. I wondered at this time how conniving he could be when he wanted to; I was to find out that his evil knew no limits.

The lawyer didn't need my urging to continue; one look from me and he was ready to continue, obviously wanting this to end. I saw John Amos for a second, swelling up like a proud bird, and at that moment I realized that he must have read this before, or at least knew what was coming, and my suspicions were confirmed when the lawyer spoke again.

"John Amos, of course, knew everything. He became my confidant, my best friend, my only family. I turned to him to ask his help, to ask him how I could force you to repent for your sins, but more importantly, how to redeem the children. He was the one who had the insight about the children; I simply observed, and I found him to be correct: that your children were unholy, sinful Devil's issue who must be destroyed, for they could only be redeemed by God himself. I learned after your disgusting carousing with your half-brother never to doubt John Amos again. For we had been too blinded by our love for you to see what was really happening, and in that way we were truly responsible to take care of the situation with the impure children."

The lawyer paused to take a drink of water, and I glanced up at John Amos. He had an expression that I likened to a cat who's not only captured and killed a mouse after a long and satisfying game, but has another mouse already trapped in the corner for the sequel. The lawyer cleared his throat to continue.

"John was so helpful during those long hard years, finding Biblical passages to assure me that we were doing the right thing, as well as preparing the childrens' basket in the mornings. He was especially helpful after your father's passing, when you became wild and reckless yourself. For he was the one who gave me the strength to realize that we could save you, Corrine. And yes, you would be displeased, but we would use the very same motivation that caused you to kill your youngest born and poison the others' bodies, as well as their minds: we would use your inheritance."

At this, I held up my hand in a gesture for the lawyer to stop. I looked to John Amos, knowing that he must understand this all.

"John, what is this all about? Saving me? Saving me from what?" I was whining now, but I didn't care; I was becoming frightened, and I needed answers.

"Why, Corrine, haven't you been listening?" he rasped, the corners of his lips turning up into a Cheshire-cat grin. "We're saving you from yourself, from your sins! You will have the chance your hellspawn never had at redemption!"

"What… what are you talking about?" I questioned, my voice now quivering like a child's.

"You'll see, Corrine, you shall see. Remember, God works in mysterious ways."

"Please" I glanced to the lawyer, "Please continue now."

"You were always so gullible, Corrine! You thought that everyone had your best intentions at heart, didn't you? Well, we do. You may not see it as such now, but in time you will… and you may even thank me. In order for you to stand to inherit one red cent from me, you must marry John Amos. If you do not, all of my money is to go to various charitable organizations in New England."

My breath caught in my throat and the room began a crazy tilting. Marry John Amos? That disgusting man? Never! I'd rather die! And yet, my mother had a way of getting what she wanted…

"I know what you're thinking, Corrine, that you would rather die. But I know you, and you're a Foxworth; you'll never give up. You have no money to your name, no clothing but that which we provided, no shelter. You have no skills to speak of, so even if you had found someone to take you in and feed and clothe you, you could not sustain yourself once their charitable demeanor wore off. No, Corrine, somehow, I think that you will soon be Mrs. John Amos. And then, your salvation shall begin!"

I don't remember much after that… I felt my head roll back on my neck until I could see the eggshell plaster on the ceiling. There was a strange swelling in my chest, and an animal shriek filled the air. In the last moments before the blackness came and took hold, I realized that Mother had once again had her way… and that the primal screaming was coming from me.


End file.
